Ok so the current issues I have noted for the TT685N as of firmware V2.7 are listed below.

(I didn’t originally list issues that had not been confirmed by at least on other user. So I have started listing those separately below, and if other people can help confirm them then we can move them to the known bugs list).
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TT685N Known Bugs (as of V2.7) –

1. AF assist light sometimes shows in the images. This can be reduced by by setting the autofocus priority selection to “Focus” on the camera, rather than “Release”, though it can still happen in both modes.

2. Zoom Setting changes to M (and stays there) when cycling through the Master/Slave modes. When they should retain the same Auto or Manual zoom settings previously set.

3. Auto ISO mode, with Aperture or Shutter Priority mode, ISO is not capped to 2 stops over the set ISO as Nikon Flashes do. Also ISO setting shown on camera image is not the same as in the exposure.

4. TT685N Master triggering an X1R-N receiver with a TTL flash attached (V860 or Nikon SB-900), if the group is set to TTL, the remote flash always fires at full power. Manual works ok though.
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TT685N Bugs – Reported Once (V2.7)

1. [Resolved] Flash hotshoe metal foot plate is slightly too long at the front edge, and the locking Pin is also too short. Both issues contributing to the flash not securing correctly on the camera etc hotshoe.

2. Flash swivel head is too tight, causing significant stress on the flash foot and hotshoe its mount to, when trying to swivel the flash head (without also trying to hold the body of the flash securely with the other hand).
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TT685N Desirable Function Updates –

1. TTL BL Fill Flash Mode. This has become the standard mode for Nikon Speedlights, though third party speedlights like the TT685N do not provide TTL BL mode at all.

Thanks VERY MUCH for curating a nice list of bugs and wish lists for both the firmware and for hardware!

Of course, a hardware wish-list is a bit more difficult to address. And hardware changes may not be wished for by all users, not even all professional photographers. For example, I greatly prefer a screw-down knob rather than Nikon’s lockdown lever (the screw can be much more stable and tight), but I would like a dust/weather seal. I can see the advantages of a Locking button (a la AD360), but I also like the convenience of no button and simply rotating the head into tabbed positions.

At least with firmware, they’re simply changing buggy behavior or adding features for broader flexibility for everyone.

Overall, it will be nice to see a “RESOLVED” note next to each of these points over the course of time. Godox has a good record in this regard.

Yes, I think the screwlock and tilt swivel lock button are the lowest priority. Godox do need to address the underlying issue though, which is mainly the current very stiff head swivel. I’m sure this is only due to the sticky grease used though, and I think Godox are going to try something different to help resolve the problem for now.

Good list, although for number 2 in the first category I would say that the zoom setting of the on-camera flash should stay at whatever you set it when you cycle through the modes, whether manual or auto zoom, and if manual the zoom setting should stay the same.

Another desirable firmware update would be the option to disable the optical modes. As Martin mentioned in his review, it’s easy to accidentally put a slave in optical mode and then end up wondering why it’s not firing with the master in wireless (happened to me once already).

And about the screwlock, the one on TT685 currently is neither stable nor tight. It loosens up and feels like it’s never quite solid (partially due to the ultra-stiff flash head that puts a lot of stress on the foot when you swivel it around).

Sorry I don’t have the TT5’s anymore. Its quite possible they may work ok together, though it may be hard to find any confirmation from other people as they most would run the Godox triggers with these flashes.

Wow, that would be a major deal breaker for me. I am hoping to find out definitively from Godox early this week. If that is the case, I will be returning the flash. Talk about a major DESIGN FLAW. Why on earth would I purchase their triggers, much less change my entire system over for them. Very NEAR SITED thinking on their part.

Because if it doesn’t work with my Pocket Wizards…. BACK IT GOES. So, if they want to sell flashes to everyone, I would think they would make their product compatible with some of the most popular triggers on the market. Right?

If they don’t provide support…. I don’t need their flash. I purchased it to give it a go… if it is a FAIL… no sweat off my nose… BACK IT GOES.

There are a lot of good products available, though even at this stage still no complete solutions. Canon and Nikon themselves love to block anything else out of their systems.

The reason we support Godox and similar is becasue they are providing some hope for solutions. Its a constant battle though they are making some good progress.

PocketWizard have just left me scratching my head at what they are thinking, for a quite a few years now.

Manuel Lopez2 years ago

Ok so I have found another issue which maybe it’s only on mine which is, if I turn the camera first then the flash, the display remains blank, the green LED background light turns on but the dot matrix refuses to display and I end up with a blank screen until I remove the flash from the camera, remove the batteries and turn the flash back on off of the camera. Then everything starts working fine again, very annoying. I requested a replacement through Amazon and I’m hoping it’s just a faulty unit and not a problem with other units. Please let me know if this happens to anyone else. Thanks.

I get the blank screen crap, too. It takes having batteries out for several minutes (sometimes) and at one point the damned thing locked up on me and I had to do a computer firmware update. These are definitely buggy.

So, I was having serious issues with the foot on my master flash at my last wedding. It became so loose from the stress of swiveling the stiff flash head that it felt like it was going to fall apart, and eventually wouldn’t make reliable contact. I had to switch that flash out for a different 685 to keep shooting. Today I took a look at at it and realized that I could open up the bottom pretty easily. There are four screws that will allow you to take the foot off of the flash. Once you do that, there are four more screws inside that hold the foot to the bottom piece. Those screws were all loose and one looked ready to fall out. Once I tightened them (being very careful not to strip the threads) and reassembled everything, it was solid again. I am now going to try to lube the flash head as mentioned previously in the comments and hopefully this won’t be an issue going forward. Here’s a photo of the screws that need to be tightened: http://www.timkphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/File-Apr-19-5-17-44-PM-e1461101399797.jpeg

This same exact problem has started to surface with my TT685TNs… 1 of them is very loose (can easily wiggle the foot of the flash with my fingers), while the other 3 are starting to get loose (noticeable when the flash is mounted), clearly a result of forces being applied while moving the flash head one-handed. I’m trying to (when possible) hold the base of the flash while moving the head, but that often is not possible in a fast-paced wedding environment. I will disassemble and tighten the internal screws as you describe, and will try to lube the mechanism (though I’m concerned about it possibly becoming too loose so that it does not maintain its position).

Seems to be a fairly rare product, as I wasn’t able to find it on the Menards or Home Depot websites, fyi.

Anyway, I first tried just spraying some on a paper towel and rubbing it on the areas that need lubrication. That didn’t do anything so I sprayed a very small quantity on each side (turn the flash head to an angle and spray it on the exposed flat surfaces) and turned it back and forth to spread it around. I then wiped up the excess with paper towel so it wouldn’t seep down into the flash body.

Seems to have worked very well. The flash head swivels MUCH more freely but it’s not overly loose; it’s actually still more stiff than my SB910, but I don’t think it will be enough to loosen the screws anymore. Put the flash on the camera and took some test shots, seems to be working fine.

I took very little of the spray to loosen up the flash head, so I am pretty confident that it isn’t going to get on the internals and cause problems or anything like that. Just to be safe though I’m going to wait until after this weekend’s wedding before giving my other two flashes the same treatment.

Tim and others: Thanks for sharing these experiences, and THANKS for being willing to open up your flash to take a look at what might be going on! I’m usually reluctant to do so (I break things). When paying so little, I’m happy to do a bit of self-maintenance.

Shot another wedding yesterday after lubing the flash head of my master and tightening the foot. Worked fine all day, still solid at the end of the night.

I did notice a couple more issues that I’m not sure have been mentioned. One thing is that the Master flash always reverts to TTL after cycling through the various modes. If you have it set in manual, it should stay in manual, just like the zoom shouldn’t reset to 24mm every time.

Another problem I discovered is that when using the on camera as a master with remote slaves, if the master flash does not fire because it hasn’t fully recycled, the slaves will not fire either. In radio mode this doesn’t make any sense. There is no real need for the master flash to go off, the radio transmitter should still be able to fire the slaves regardless. I had my slave set at 1/64 power, but my master flash was firing around 1/2 or full power (I was in TTL) due to a high, dark ceiling that I was bouncing off. I fired several shots during the bouquet toss, where my slave was the main light on the girls catching the bouquet, with my on-camera being bounced for some fill. I ended up with two photos that came out and two black frames in between. What should happen is that the remote flash should fire every time and at least I would have four usable images, even if the middle two were a little more contrasty due to the lack of fill from the master which hadn’t recycled. Hopefully this is something that can be fixed in firmware, but I’m not going to hold my breath. Probably just have to plan on using the PB960 for any critical reception moments where things could happen quickly.

Finally, I’ll just second what others have said about the optical modes; it would be preferable to have an option to disable them entirely, as it’s easy in the heat of the moment to think you’re in Radio Master mode when you’re really in Optical Master mode and then wonder why your slaves aren’t firing.

Yes, Nikon version. Any time you change the overall flash mode (like from Master to single on-camera flash, or vice versa) the on camera flash defaults to TTL instead of staying in whatever mode you had it in the last time. So for instance, in some venues the ceilings are such that I will keep my on-camera flash in manual mode because pretty much anywhere I move on the dance floor, I need basically the same power level to bounce my flash. If I take a break from the dancing to walk around the reception doing candids or grip & grins, I don’t want the remote flashes firing, so I switch from master mode back to single on-camera flash mode. Since I’m walking all over the room and bouncing off of varied walls and ceilings, I use TTL. When I go back to the dance floor and switch into master mode again, my on-camera flash is now in TTL mode instead of manual like I had it before. So I have to switch it back to manual again, which is an annoyance. It does remember the power level, at least.

The slave flashes do not have this problem and stay in whatever mode and power level you left them at.

Ahhhhhhhh, thanks for elaborating a bit more. And I see why you’re using it that way. Interestingly, I’m glad to say that’s normally not how I’d do things. So this probably wouldn’t be a big issue for me. Still, it’s good to know about it so as to anticipate it. Thanks!

Tim, I ran into exactly the same issue last weekend: the slaves don’t fire if the Master hasn’t fully recycled.

And even worse I have the impression that the Master also won’t fire AT ALL if it’s not fully charged. Not a lower power burst – nothing at all.

This is pretty bad – almost a full blown show stopper to me. I literally paced down my shooting speed (which isn’t too fast anyway). Very annoying and something I never experienced with my Nikon flashes.

I had pretty powerful and reliable batteries in the TT685N (eneloop pro) and I shot at ISO 1600 at f/2.8 in a white tent. This should give you machine gun like recycle times!
But only after I had set the Master to -2 EV (for fill) I really had close to instantaneous recycling.

This goes to show two things:
1. all theoretical tests in the confines of your home are moot once it gets to real world shooting
2. the TT685N still have a LONG way to be as reliable weapons as say a Nikon SB-900/910 flash.

This is exactly what happens with my Phottix Mitros + for Nikon. If the main does not fire, due to not being fully recycled it will not trigger the off-camera flashes. You get nothing. If I’m using the Odin TCU trigger then there are no problems. I really hate that about the Mitros +. Plus by the third sequential shot from them the recycle times drastically increase and power out put really drops off. I’m really hoping to see that these Godox/Cheetah brand lights do a better job in this department.

Yeah, it’s a big problem. Seems like it should be fixable in firmware, but I’m not holding my breath. I did get a PB960 battery pack with the y-cable which does make the recycle times instantaneous at anything below full power. I think I will have to plan on using this for whenever I know I am likely to be shooting quickly, i.e. bouquet tosses, reception entrances, etc.

Here’s hoping the V860 II flashes have better behavior, with their better battery and stamina. Like Tim and his TT685, I’m not holding my breath for different outcome. Nevertheless, I think I could work with it in the context of the way I shoot, at least until there’s an update on this.

Hopefully we’re letting people know who can effect some sort of change — Edward at CheetahStand, someone at Adorama, or even Elv the FlashHavoc administrator.

I’ve passed this on to Godox and Adorama earlier today, so we will see if anything comes of it. I think its something that may take some persistence though.

I’m not sure about Nikon, though the Canon RT system works the same way unfortunately. Apparently this is one of the things the Canon beta testers had been asking to change as well, but Canon didn’t change it.

The V860II should certainly be better than the TT685 on its own, though the V860II are not going to compete with a TT685N with external battery pack. And certainly not with a 2 into 1 cord used as well (though I don’t know how safe that is for your speedlites).

Adorama are generally your best shot at having any improvements made though. A lot of the refinements we managed to have done to this stage were agreed to as part of the AD600 deal they arranged with Godox. Adorama have made a significant investment, so that provides them more opportunity to shape things. You would think Godox would want to refine these things just for their own advantage, though historically its been very hard to get them to make any changes otherwise.

With Nikon flashes, if you take another shot before the flash has fully recycled it will still fire but at a lower power level. Depending on how high the power is you can get a 1-3 reduced-power shots before you end up with a totally black frame. Much more forgiving when there’s fast-paced action going on. I’m surprised to hear that Canon flashes don’t work that way; it make so much more sense than forcing you to wait for the full recycle.

With the 2 in 1 cable, my thought was that firing rapidly is a last resort and not something I’ll be doing all the time just because I have the battery attached. At most it should be 2-3 shots in a row and then back to a normal rate of shooting, which hopefully doesn’t hurt anything. I tested it once just to see and there were no problems. Even if it fries the flash, at least I have some backups that I can finish the wedding with and I can buy a replacement for only $120. But hopefully shots saved vs fried flashes ratio will be favorable. I know a photographer who uses a quantum battery with her Canon 600RT’s and has fried one before. I’d have to burn up 4 TT685’s to be tied with her, lol.

Tim, there used to be an extremely cool solution to that some years ago. Or at least that’s what many of us thought.

NiZn AA Batteries! They have much power and a slightly elevated voltage (1.6V) that four of them in a speed light would make it fire and recycle as fast as if you had an SD-9 8xAA power pack attached.

Most quality flashes could be used without their electronics getting fried.

And if you put another 8 of them in a SD-9 pack you would fire as fast as with the best Quantum high voltage packs out there. Absolutely amazing.

The only big downside that made me and most of the others who used them stop is that the batteries are unreliable and no high quality chargers are available.
So you might have anded up with starting out strong but then all of a sudden your recycling rate would drop way down because one of the batteries went bad.

They still are available from the same company – Powergenix. And dirt cheap they are.

Tim, the Canon flashes will allow you to fire them before they are fully recycled, though they won’t let the RT slave flashes fire unless the on-camera flash and all of the slave flashes are ready to fire again.

I understand though a large part of this issue here is that the Godox speedlites don’t have the quick fire mode where they will fire with partial recycle. I’ll pass that on to Godox as well though.

To be honest it makes me pretty nervous at the moment that Godox are not really on the same page as their customers when it comes to a capable on camera master flash. I don’t think its really on their radar in the future products list when it should be the number one priority.

The owner of Godox met with Adorama in the US last week though, and they assured them they are taking the concerns like this seriously. I get the impression its not going to come easily though. With a new transmitter on the other hand is much easier to say we want this and that functions and interface.

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Edit – also as you mentioned I don’t think the 2 into 1 cable would be any issue with the speedlites at low power levels, and provided you’re conscious of not overworking the flash. I’d be more concerned at full power, or close to, where you could easily work the flash much harder and faster than it or the heat protection etc was designed for. Even in short bursts.

I’m not sure whether this should go in the AD600 section or the TT685N section, but I’m putting it here because sort of replicates a bug that Tim Kamppinen reported. When using a TT685N on camera as a master in HSS mode with a shutter speed above X-sync, it doesn’t seem to trigger my AD600 (Cheetah branded CL-600X) unless the AD600 is in Group C. For comparison, if I use a X1-N transmitter (Also from Cheetah), the AD600 will go off in HSS mode on any group.

And though I say that the TT685N doesn’t seem to trigger the AD600 set to Group A or B, if you look at the AD600, it is firing, but it doesn’t appear to fire in the photo, even if I take a photo of the AD600 itself. What I think is happening is that the TT685N isn’t communicating the HSS information to the AD600 on Groups A and B. If I shoot at 1/250, the AD600 appears in the photo. Move up to 1/320 and it is totally dark. At 1/320 it doesn’t even show the black bar that you’d get with a non HSS flash when shooting above X-Sync.

Interestingly, I have a couple of TT600s, and the TT685N triggers them in HSS mode just fine at any shutter speed.

I’m shooting with a D4 on Auto FP and using the radio trigger mode (not optical)

I picked up another TT685 from Amazon. Batch number 6C18J, same as Earl’s. Did some tests with it to see if the same issue was present. I noticed something strange this time.

I set up my two slave flashes in groups A and B. I used my regular master flash to fire them (not the new one). Took a shot at 1/200, both flashes fired. Switched to 1/400, and A did not fire, but B did fire. This was odd because I remembered only group C working in HSS.

Switched both flashes to group B, took another shot at 1/400, and both fired. Switched both flashes to group C, took a shot, both fired. *BUT* after that, I tried different combinations, A & C, B &C, A & A, B & B, etc. and from that point on only group C would fire. Same problem I had before.

Once I established that the HSS was only working on group C, I swapped my master flash out for the new 685 that I had just gotten from Amazon. Same thing.

I also just picked up an AD360II. I decided to put that on camera and see if it could successfully fire all three groups in HSS. NOPE! Same results, only group C worked.

Finally, I used the AD360II as a remote flash and returned my 685 to the master position. With three remote flashes, and various combinations, same results. Only Group C would fire in HSS… on both the 685 slaves as well as the AD360II slave.

The fact that the AD360II exhibits the same behavior is very interesting. It makes me think (hope) that it’s something that’s coded wrong and could be fixed with firmware.

Again, HSS works fine across all groups when firing with the X1N transmitter. It’s only when controlling the groups via a master flash (either 685 or 360) that only group C works. And for some reason group B works for a little while as well? That was even more bizzare.

Thanks. Unrelated but I forgot to mention that the new 685 I picked up would not lock on my D750 hotshoe… so I’m going to send it back. I had hoped they would have this sorted out by now but maybe I just got some old stock. It’s weird because if I’m interpreting the batch numbers correctly (might not be) this one is newer than my three original flashes. One of those locks, the other two don’t, and now this (supposedly) newer one doesn’t either.

Instead I ordered an 860II. I figure that can be my go-to on-camera flash for most of the wedding day (assuming that the locking pin works!) and I’ll put on the 865 w/battery pack when I anticipate the need for rapid firing, or the 360II if I need extra bounce power.

As mentioned further bellow, I think Godox may have to look to a separate higher end flash option, as well as refining the current units as best as possible.

The off camera strobes are very well priced, though there are a lot of people that want to use them professionally for wedding photography etc, and the on-camera master flash is not something they want to compromise on for the sake of some extra cost.

I would place relatively high on the list the need to get a Mac firmware updates out there. As it is right now, our only option is to buy or borrow a PC, or to buy virtualization software and a new operating system for something so simple but vital.

Serious as a heart attack, Mark. The firmware is compressed into the .RAR format (I have nothing natively installed to deal with that, though I could no doubt acquire something), and the firmware contained in there installs via PC.

I understand the actual update procedure is not very complex. Nevertheless, Mac users have to jump through some hoops and spend some $$$ to get there. Another reason to make sure you purchase your gear from a U.S. dealer (if you’re in the U.S.) with its firmware as current as possible, rather than go through eBay or even Amazon.

I think it would be a good idea to separate the list into fixes that could be implemented with the current flash via firmware, and those that would be hardware improvements to the next version (better focus-assist would be at the top of my list, along with a tilt/swivel button and getting rid of that friction method of holding the head in position). I personally would not mind paying more for a better flash (it would still likely be significantly cheaper than Canon/Nikon, and as was mentioned already, unlike Canon users, Nikon users don’t have a usable Nikon radio wireless system anyway).

In addition to the firmware improvements already mentioned, I would add that it would be nice if the zoom setting would stick, and default to “auto” when in anything but a slave mode (currently if you set it to auto, and start cycling through master/slave modes, it switches to manual zoom and stays there unless you specifically change it back to auto).

And as I mentioned previously, there’s definitely something fishy going on with the exposure of a dark scene when using slaves with the master shooting direct instead of bounced (it’s a few stops underexposed, when if anything it should be overexposed). I’m gradually getting a feel for it, getting in the habit of dialing in +1 or +2 of FEC when shooting direct flash with the on-camera master.

I think the zoom setting should stay however you set it, whether auto or at a manual setting, in the single on-camera or master modes, and possibly have a different setting that “sticks” for the slave modes. I personally never want it in auto mode, so it shouldn’t go into auto mode unless I switch it to that myself. The same goes for manual or TTL, it should not be switching to TTL every time I go into master mode, it should remember how it was set the last time I was in master mode.

I hope they don’t put a huge locking button like the one on the wistro, hopefully they can make it flush with the side of the flash like on every other flash out there (SB910, etc).

A lower priority thing would be improving the fresnel lens so that it creates a more even pattern of light when used direct. As it is the light pattern is pretty uneven and ugly.

Ability to disable the optical modes would be an improvement (should be possible in firmware).

Yes after the next firmware update I think we will need to take stock of what firmware issues have been resolved and what are still outstanding. And separate the request list into firmware and hardware.

The problem is you can’t use the genuine Canon / Nikon / Sony flashes as a radio master unit to the Godox system. If that was the case the genuine units would be the better solution. As it is we’re relying on Godox to provide a reasonable alternative.

I would think though, to implement all these things we would be looking to a separate higher end flash option. (Though Godox would still need to fix the tight head etc on the current units).

Hi, I have bought 3 of those flashes after I have contacted Godox Honk Kong and they confirmed that the flash on camera in radio master mode will also fire at the same time as off camera flashes. Unfortunately that’s not a case… Anyone tested that function? I want to have 2 flashes off camera , and the one on camera as fill light, so all 3 flashes firing…
I would be very grateful for a comment.
Thank you vary much!!
Lukas

The 860II that I ordered from Amazon turned out to be a regular 860… I hate how amazon lets sellers list completely different items as separate “colors”. Anyway, I sent it back and ordered a Cheetah 860X which by that time was in stock. Just got it today and tested to see if the same thing was happening (only group C works in HSS when triggering via on-camera master flash).

Well, looks like I figured out a little more clearly what is going on and it’s consistent with what I’ve documented previously, but I hadn’t pieced it all together until now. What happens is this: when using an on-camera master flash to fire slave flashes in HSS, the only the last group that is enabled will sync correctly with the camera. So if I am only using group A, group A will fire in HSS just fine, sync with the camera and show up in the frame. However, once I turn on group B as well, only group B will sync correctly. Group A still fires but I can see it through the viewfinder and it doesn’t show up in the image, whereas group B does. Finally, if I turn on group C, it will sync correctly but groups A & B will not. So only the “last” group of A, B, and C that is currently enabled syncs correctly.

I tried this with the 860X as the master and my 3 TT685’s as slaves, and then I tried it with the 860X as one of the slaves and one of the 685’s as master. Same results both ways.

This must be some sort of timing issue with the signal for HSS. Again, this all works correctly with the X1N transmitter, it’s only an issue when using an on-camera master flash. That makes me think that it should be able to be fixed with a firmware update, if we could get Godox to understand what the problem is.

Yeah, if someone was testing it with only two flashes they would probably not see the issue. However I just confirmed that simply turning on a lower group will cause the higher group to not sync, even with no slave flash in that group. So for instance I had group A firing correctly, and I turned on group B at the master flash (even though I didn’t have a group B slave for it to control) and it caused group A to not sync.

I have no idea if this is somehow related to what you’re experiencing, but I observed something else about the V860X for Nikon. I classify it as “minor” because it’s easily worked around:

If I turn on a V860X set as the Master, and I turn on a V860X as a Slave, but these two flashes are each starting out in different modes — for example, the Master’s groups are in all in Manual mode but the Slave is set in i-TTL — the Master and Slave do not appear to sync together. Adjustments I make on the Master to control the Slave group’s mode and settings do NOT appear to be reflected on the Slave.

Solution: You need to start out with both flashes in the same Mode — for example, if the Master’s group A is set to Manual mode, then that Slave in group A also needs to start out in Manual mode. Etc.

It’s for an external battery pack which can be used to increase recycle times. However be aware that it has a Canon connection, even on the Nikon version of the 685… so you need to get a Canon cable to use with the external battery.

Thanks for the reply. I have been looking for 2 days on the Internet for a pin-out diagramm. I simply cant find it. How i see, its a 11.1V connector.
What pin is positive, whitch is negative, what is the third pin for?

Been reading all the above and was just about to buy these. I currently have the yongnuo yn622 system but this doesnt allow me to have an on camera flash talking to my other yongnuo flashes and Nikon flashes.

What I want to achieve is an on camera flash firing 1 or 2 off camera flashes. I currently have 2 yongnuo flashes and 2 nikon so was thinking of buying 2 godox 685 and 2 Godox X1R which should allow me to have a 685 on camera controlling the off camera 685 plus the 2 nikons with the receivers attached.

Reading the above im a bit concerned, especially things like the focus beam in images. Cant have that as a wedding photographer (or any photographer for that matter).

Would you recommend doing the above, buying now and selling the Yongnuo system or hanging on for an improved version….?

I think i would mostly simply use 1 on camera godox and one off camera godox, rarely do i use all 4 flashes at once. so i may just get a couple to practice with…

Greg, wedding photographer here too. I’ve been mostly pleased with my TT685n flashes (4 of them) and pair of AD360IIs. As you mentioned, I think the biggest concern is the AF assist beam. Yeah, the stiff (and no button) flash head, the locking nut (instead of the quick-flip lever), the “no flash unless is fully charged”, and the various UI quirks (zoom settings not being retained when switching between modes, etc.) are all issues to be considered, some of which can be forgiven with the price-point of this flash, but the AF assist beam is the one thing that truly gets in my way on a regular basis.

The effectiveness of the beam is marginal… in some conditions (certain combinations of distance and focal length) it seems to be pretty much useless. And while any AF assist beam is noticeable on the subject, I find the pattern of little X’s to be very prominent and obnoxious compared to the rectangular shapes projected by Nikon and Canon beams (it’s so bad that I hesitate, even more than I ordinarily would, to use this AF assist, and REALLY try to not use it when the couple has hired a videographer). And lastly there’s the “AF beam visible in images” issue. I’ve been working hard to retrain my fingers to release the AF button before I shoot, but I shouldn’t have to… that’s clearly a bug, that hopefully can be fixed in a software update.

I say “hopefully”, because in my emails to Godox regarding other issues, the responses I’ve received have pretty much been “that’s just the way it is, deal with it” (not worded that rudely, of course), so there’s certainly a chance that they consider this AF issue to be normal (in other words, if you don’t want the AF beam in your images, you need to let go of the button before you shoot or be certain that focus has been locked so that the beam turns off).

Still, though this all may sound very negative, I’m mostly pleased with my Godox gear. Just this past weekend at a wedding, well into the reception and after my OCF had been packed away, the couple came to me wanting to go back outside and do some more portraits. It was so nice being able to just grab a flash out of my bag and stick it on the stand, rather than my previous setup of RadioPopper PX’s, which required that I dig around in my bag to find the transmitter, receiver, and receiver bracket, then assemble it (sure, it only took a few minutes, but when your client is standing there waiting for you it seems like hours).

A couple f questions if I may
Can the AF assist beam be turned off. I use D750s and they have great AF lock even in low light so bot a deal breaker really. Hopefully fixed with firmware though.

Not firing until fully charged. If understand that correctly it means the flash wont even fire at its lowest power until the recycle has fully completed. This could be an issue as I fire rapid bursts. I use a high ISO (3200) in low ambient but set flash power generally low to allow a quick recycle. Would attaching a battery pack help with this…??

Zoom settings – hmm..I normally set the off camera to a middling zoom for dance floor and the on camera zoom will be dependant on ceiling height etc. Once I have set that up I probably wouldn’t change it too much, until the next ‘stage’ of the wedding ie when the first dance is finished and its then party time. When you say it doesn’t retain zoom when changing between modes do you mean that if you change from ITTL to manual the zoom resets? Or if you change from 1/4 to 1/8 power the zoom resets?

Mine should be delivered today so I can have a play with them. I really wish yongnuo just made a flash that could sit on camera and had the transmitter inside…would save me some serious time and hassle lol!

Although one of my YN568 flashes seems to have blown and is stuck on full power!

The recycling is only going to be a problem at higher power levels such as 1/4 – 1/1 depending on how fast you’re shooting. For me even at ISO 3200 or higher in some venues I still need my flash at 1/2 or 1/1 just because the walls I’m bouncing off of are so far away or are a dark color, etc. Attaching a PB960 will greatly increase recycle speed, and if you use the Y-cable it will be almost instantaneous. However, firing continuously at full power with that setup will probably fry your flash. My plan is to be careful with it and use it only when it’s likely I’ll have to fire a few rapid frames such as during the bouquet toss, but not to over do it.

The zoom stays constant when changing power level, the resetting was happening for me when switching from Master mode back to single on-camera flash mode.

I have a X1 transmitter on my d750 and it limits my shutter to only 1/200. FOr example, if my shutter is 1/500 and as soon as i put the X1 on, it reverts back to 1/200. I can’t even scroll the shutter higher than 1/200. Same is true for the TT858N and D750. can you explain y? Thanks!﻿

I’ve used the Godox flashes at a few more weddings now. Once the reception starts I stick with the TT685 on camera with the PB960 batter pack plus the Y-cable. It actually works amazingly well. I didn’t miss a single shot due to the flash not recycling all night. At one wedding I was shooting consistently at 1/1 and 1/2 power all through the speeches and my flash did not burst into flames. I wasn’t laying on the shutter in continuous mode of course, but I was definitely outpacing what the normal recycle times would have been and doing a few quick 2-3 shots at key moments to catch reactions, etc. The flash showed no signs of distress; it didn’t feel hot and I didn’t smell smoke or anything like that.

At one point during the dancing with the flash on 1/4 power I apparently caught up to the overheat protection and my recycle times were stretched out to 10 seconds. However once I realized what was happening I was able to just open the battery door and then close it again to remove the protection and continue shooting as normal. A little risky but that’s one of the nice things about these flashes; as long as you have a backup ready to go you can push them a little more without worrying about being out $500-600 if you go too far.

The 685 with the battery pack makes the 860II look like a joke in comparison. The 860 really is only marginally better on recycle times than the standard 685 and the battery life isn’t a big deal for me. I have been using the 860II through the day when I don’t have the battery pack on my belt but really I kind of wish I would have just saved the money and got another 685.

Tim, thanks for the ongoing reports about your experiences with the V860 II and the TT685.

I have to admit, I’m actually surprised (and impressed) that you haven’t yet melted a TT685 with it connected to a Lithium battery pack. But it’s nice to hear about what it’s like to push it like that. It was also interesting to note how you got around the overheat protection circuitry. 🙂

But I don’t really shoot the way you described. So I’m going to stick with the V860X (CheetahStand’s version of the V860 II) because its Li-ion battery gives it a noticeable advantage in stamina and recycle times versus the TT685 on its own. I have a very low tolerance (actually zero tolerance) for operating tethered to a battery pack, so I’ll just accept it as it is. All I need now as a Nikon shooter is for Godox / Cheetah /Adorama to update their firmware for Nikon versions of the V860 II and the X1T transmitter, and I’ll be a happy camper.

Mark, it will. The brand compatibility is only for the foot to fit into that brand of hotshoe, as well as to give OPTICAL wireless compatibility for that brand. But when in RADIO wireless mode, all of the Godox / Cheetah / Adorama 2.4 GHz equipment speaks the same language. Hope that makes sense and answers what you were asking.

No problemo! But this approach has other great benefits, too. If you’re shooting with multiple brands of camera, or you have a second shooter who is using a brand other than your own, then if they have the right transmitter they can still fire the same lights if that’s how you’d like to configure things.

There are also brand-generic transmitters such as the XT16 or the XT32G (G for generic) that will allow Fuji, Panasonic, or Olympus cameras to fit smoothly and comfortably into your scheme of things. Godox is really onto something unique here. If they can just catch some of the little bugs via firmware updates, things will be even better. But even as things stand now, the system is very usable even though imperfect.

Ulysses and Mark, I’m not sure how much cross compatibility the V860II or TT685 actually have at this stage. As this is something Godox still needed to add later through firmware.

Godox added the Sony TTL radio slave mode to the AD360II-C and AD360II-N already through firmware, as well as to the AD600B. And they already had the Canon and Nikon TTL radio slave modes installed.

Though as far as I know alternate TTL radio slave modes where still to be added to the V860II or TT685 sometime down the track. (I think this may possibly be part of why the V860II have been delayed for Flashpoint).

So until someone can check where this is up to (as I don’t have cross brand speedlites yet) I’m not too sure what compatibility there is yet. Its quite possible firing and remote manual power control may still work across brands already.

I only just discovered last week that remote manual power control (and HSS to some degree) are working between cross brand X1R receiver units. (I’m not sure if cross brand TTL would be possible with those down the track).

Interestingly, I got verification from a colleague who has the CheetahStand CL-360X for Nikon, an AD360II-C for Canon, and a TT685S speedlight for Sony. He claims he can use an X1 for each respective brand and fire each of those lights, change their power levels, and work in either manual or TTL.

What still isn’t clear — and which is the topic of this portion of the thread — is if the TT685 / V860II can behave as a sort of universal master, able to control brands other than the one assigned to its hot foot. My curiosity almost makes me want to buy a few other components for brands other than Nikon. 🙂

I’d like to be wrong, though I don’t think the TT685 / V860II have the alternate TTL radio slave modes available just yet.

With the latest firmware the AD360II do already. So yes an AD360II-C for example can control either AD360II-C or AD360II-N. And if you use an X1T-S (Sony) transmitter the AD360II-C and AD360II-C will work with TTL those as well.

If your colleague has that right though, it would mean the TT685-S at least has Canon and Nikon TTL radio slave modes already.

Godox do intend to add all the TTL slave mode to the speedlites eventually. They have done it with the AD360II, so there shouldn’t be any reason the speedlites are much different.

I have an AD360 with an FT-16 transmitter/receiver. I’d like to pair it with an on-camera TTL flash capable of controlling the AD360’s power level, assigning it to a Group, and triggering it. Can the TT685N act as a master for an AD360 with a FT-16 receiver? I suspect not due to the 433MHz vs. 2.4GHz radio frequency difference. If not the FT-16, is there another receiver I can add to the AD360 that would permit this? Thanks.

I think I found my answer. It sounds like the TT685N will control my AD360 if I replace the FT-16 receiver with an XTR-16 receiver, is that correct?

Also, I’m a big fan of using Nikon’s flash commander menu to change the settings on remote flashes. With a TT685N on my Nikon D750, will I be able to use the camera’s menu or do I need to use the flash’s menu?

Yes the XTR-16 receiver is what you need to have control of the AD360 via the TT685N master.

No I don’t think you can use the cameras menu. I don’t have a current model Nikon camera, though as far as I understand they still don’t provide a radio commander control through the camera menu. (Other than likely with their own new radio system, or the previous optic wireless system).

Thanks for confirming, Elv. I figured that camera menu control was a long shot, but it’s so much quicker that I needed to ask. I’ll be picking up a TT865N, XTR-16, and TT600 and hopefully selling off some Nikon and Yongnuo gear soon.

Great site, by the way. You’ve got tons of information that isn’t available readily, or at all, elsewhere. Thanks for all you do.

Any update on the master non-transmit issue when not fully charged issue. I’m ok with the master not doing partial bursts, but the fact that it doesn’t trigger the off-camera lights is a big deal to me.

Very good flash info in this site, also quality comments with good insight. Thanks for that you all ! 🙂

I have now an Yongnuo speedlight based rig, a couple of YN-560 IV flashes and a YN-560 trigger. Very very nice rig and works like a charm. For the price just amazing. Of course the downside is that they can´t do HSS of any kind, max 1/250sec it is.

So I am interested about this Godox stuff and I have quite a simple question(s).

I have for some time been looking for getting AD360 but now that AD600 seems even more interesting. Would love to use some of my studio octas and boxes outside. With that I could purchase few of the flashes mentioned here, TT685N speedlights that is.

I was researching on Yongnuo YN 685N and YN622 TX and came across the Godox TT685 as well. Which system do you think will be better for my uses. Mostly off camera usage.
Can anyone help me with the TTL and HSS performance of both of these systems with a Nikon D750?

Thanks for the great posts everyone. I’ve been shooting 4 x SB800s using Nikon CLS. While I think the system works well for what it is I’ve decided to switch to a radio system. For me the ability to shoot ttl is important, so I decided on the 685N. So far I’ve thrown one in the mix and it integrates flawlessly as a slave and commander.

I don’t have much to add to Tim’s detailed reports. I second the comments about the focus light appearing in shots if you hit the shutter release too soon. That’s my biggest complaint. I also found that switching between modes reverts the zoom to manual as stated before (annoying but I can deal with that). Compared to the SB800 I found ttl tends to underexposed a bit, however it is consistent so you can just dial in an EV if you like. Actually imho the SB800 tends to overexpose so I was always dialling it down 1/3-2/3.

One other observation I made when comparing the two. Often my d750 sits in auto iso so I can move quickly between a dark church and a bright outside without much thought. When the flash is on camera, Nikon’s logic seems to be to use minimum iso and boost flash power. Godox does the opposite, it boosts iso to the limit you set and uses minimum flash power. That’s actually not a bad thing, but something to be aware of.

Also, on the sb800 if I’m shooting in aperture on camera and TTL on flash, in auto iso the system will obey the minimum shutter speed selected on the auto iso page (say 1/160 for example). This is the same thing when set to TTL on the 685. If I want the camera to default to 1/60 and maintain my selected iso (say for example 100) I just switch to AA on the sb800. The option doesn’t exist on the 685. However I noticed that if you switch the mode to Master it accomplishes the same thing (ie fixes shutter at 1/60 and iOS where you set it). So be aware that while both flashes will do the same things, the method is a little different.

Overall I’m quite pleased with the unit. The focus assist issue is the only thing that makes me think I may hang onto one sb800 for now, but otherwise I plan to make the switch.

I unfortunately have to report despite the TT685N saying it comes with a 1 year warranty, Godox has been completely unresponsive to my attempts to contact them at their listed email godox@godox.com.

I bought a TT685N in May and it stopped working in July (under very light use) and am now left with a dead product that will not flash no matter what settings I choose. I recommend staying away from Godox products until they offer better customer service. I will update this comment (if i can) if I ever get service.

Unfortunately Godox are not great at answering customer service emails directly. They have a huge customer base all around the world now, so I’m not sure that would even be possible to deal with everyone directly at this stage.

If the flash failed though, the dealer would need to be arranging a replacement. There’s nothing to really wait on Godox for. You would need to return the flash, and the dealer provide a replacement.

Is there any trick to getting Godox flashes to work with external battery packs?

A friend gave me two Pixel AA battery backs (http://flashhavoc.com/pixel-battery-pack-td-381-review/) with Canon connectors. The packs connect to my two Godox TT600 flashes and 685n flash, but they don’t see to work. I’ve tried both battery packs with each of the three flashes. With the packs attached, there is no decrease in recycle times and the LED’s on the Pixel packs don’t light to indicate they are supplying power to the flashes.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a Canon flash to verify the battery packs work, but it seems somewhat unlikely that I’d have two dead packs. I use the Nikon version of the Pixel packs and they’ve been fairly reliable.

Yes, I can understand why you like or support GODOX. The Flash I purchased was very nice! To be honest, I was disappointed for having to return it.

However, at the end of the day, it didn’t meet my needs. To me, a simple thing like not firing with a Brand Name trigger is simply foolish. Regardless of what you think of Pocket Wizard, they are still a hugely respected brand and they focus on the Nikon Lighting System.

I had absolutely ZERO issues with the NIkon flash I purchased today. It was plug and play, didn’t even have to read the manual. Perfect. I know it will work on a job site, no questions asked. The GODOX? Would have been embarrassing if I showed up with it and it didn’t work because I never tested it and just assumed.

I am sure GODOX will do well and as I stated, I am disappointed to have to return it, but today, they didn’t get my money and won’t any time soon, unless they become 100% compatible with Pocket Wizard…. whether that is good or bad, its my reality. I am not bending for GODOX, if they want to earn my business, they will have to bend for me.

In general though regardless of which companies we are talking about, you can’t expect 3rd party gear to necessarily be compatible with each other.

It would be just as difficult for PocketWizard to provide and keep compatibility with the TT685N, as it would for Godox to provide and keep compatibility with the TT5. You could argue all day who should be doing what, but either company is only claiming compatibility with original Canon and Nikon etc, and their own gear.

If you would like some insight into where the issue likely lies though, I know of a pretty good indication. YongNuo have a very smart engineer who follows the original Canon and Nikon radio protocols very closely with their YN-622 TTL triggers. And the TT685N work fine with the YN-622N. So the compatibility issue is more than likely due to the way PocketWizard have moved away from the original protocol, and not actually something Godox have done (or not done) with the flash.

I think your view of PocketWizard being hugely respected these days is very subjective as well unfortunately. The Control TL for Canon was very problematic and the majority of people I’m aware of found moving to the Canon RT system when it became available, or to the very inexpensive YN622C or Phottix Odin a great relief. And even quite few Nikon users have said the same thing.

There are certainly things that are not ideal about Godox etc, though if PocketWizard were producing the products people wanted then people would be buying them. As Nikon finally start producing their own radio flash gear its only going to hurt PocketWizard more. Then you have the name brand strobe manufacturers already teaming up with Chinese companies for their radio gear. PocketWizard may have something to respond with eventually, though its been a long time coming if they do.

Speaking of Yongnuo (the message in the email), I do use one of their flashes… works without issue with Pocket Wizard. Yongnuo also makes a nice product, but the feel of the Godox seems better. I would have preferred the GODOX and gotten rid of the Yongnuo.

If I was to offer one complaint with the Yongnuo, I found their light a tad blue. Otherwise, a fine flash for the money and it works with Pocket Wizard.

I’m Sony user (A7II and A99) and I’ve decided to go for Godox X system.
My question i…
If I’m going to work with Remote Manual Groups (don’t necessarily need TTL, anyway it would be nice to have…) is it true that using X1T-S (or any other) i can ONLY control up to 3 groups (A/B/C) of TT685S (Remote Manual) and up to 5 groups of TT600S (A/B/C/D/E). It looks like TT600S would be better choice…

Hi Guys
The FlashHavoc Forum seems to be down, so I’ll ask the question here.
I think I know the answer you’ll give but we sometimes need reassurance we are doing the right thing.
Am looking at upgrading to a Radio Flash system. Have been using Yongnuo for years and waiting for a YN568EXII Nikon version but they never got to it. The YN685 looked close but still no prize.
So i’m looking at both the Shanny SN910EX-RF with SN910TX and the Godox TT685N with the X1N-T&R.
The Godox has both optical and radio, but does appear to have some issues that may be addressed.
The Shanny is new and has little info but so far looks good.
Godox appears to have a much better range of compatible flashes that will work with their radio system where as
Shanny have only the TX and no RX and that looks like it was promised or wished for some time ago. Maybe Shanny has a carry over for the Yongnuo mentality.

So the main question is, which of the two are going to be the most reliable and take the best picture as this is the most important thing when it comes to photography.

I’m looking at 3 x TT685N + 1 x TX and 1 x RX. Same number with Shanny but without the RX (don’t have one).
Any comments, thanks

Shanny originally looked very promising, though it all started going down hill when they realized they couldn’t reverse engineer the Canon RT radio system as originally expected. And among other things they have never provided a single user firmware update for any of their flashes.

The Godox master speedlites have not been up to the standard of their off camera system either, though Godox certainly have a better overall direction.

You’re best bet is likely to pick up one TT685N or V860II-N, and see if you’re happy with that as the on-camera flash.

Regarding the forum, I’ve had to lock it for the moment unfortunately as its being overrun with spam-bots trying to sign up.

Thanks for the advise.
Would you rate the V860II-N higher than the TT685N without figuring in the LiPo as I prefer Batteries over re-chargeable.
Are they basically the same flash, with one having a re-chargeable battery?
Do they both have the same issues re stiff head, AF light etc?
Other than these two what radio enabled Master Slave Flash for Nikon would you recommend OR to put it differently, how would you rate all the Radio M/S Flashes that are currently available?

I bought a couple of these and manual flashes to replace my yongnuo system but the AF beam is so bad im considering returning the whole lot. I shot a wedding with them and while everything else about the flashes was great, the AF beam was completely useless at anything over a few meters away as it was so weak.

I compared it to my yongnuo and there was a huge difference. Very disappointing really as the wireless system was exactly what I was looking for so I didn’t have to carry around extra triggers but for times such as first dances when the lighting is low this could be a deal breaker

I have 3x yn-560 III and 1x yn-560-tx trigger. I am planning to get TT685n in order to have HSS and compatibility with the Godox bigger range and different systems support in the future.
Does anyone have managed to work with TT685n and yn-560 III together? What’s the bare minimum to trigger yn-560s III from a TT685n? Will it be a headache and may I follow a different path for the setup, eg. Godox altogether?

I know its not ideal, though it would be a lot more convenient to trade the YongNuo kit for all Godox strobes. The cheaper manual Godox TT600 speedlites also provide HSS when used as slave flashes.

Otherwise you would need to try and connect the YN560-TX to your camera via PC sync cord to be used as a second transmitter for the YongNuo system. If your camera has a PC Sync port that may not be too hard, though still not particularly convenient.

Hello Flash Havoc,
I want to buy Godox TT 685 N. I would like to know few issues from your kind expertise knowlegde–
1) Are the BUG Issues that you earlier reported for the version V 2.7 solved by Godox now after almost an year?
2)What is the current firmware version in the market now?
3) I have bought Godox X1 T & X1 R ( for Nikon ). I also have a Nissin Di 866 MARK II Flash. So shall I opt to buy TT 685 N or V 860 II N ?
4) Is the Lithium Ion Battery ,the only difference between TT 685 and V 860 II ?

Yes I think the Lithium-ion battery is the only main difference between the TT685 and V860II now that the firmware have brought their functions in line. (The TT685 does also have an external HV battery port).
.

Some people are quite happy with the TT685N and V860II, (particularly considering the price) while others definitely still want something more refined. At this point Godox are in no hurry to provide other options though unfortunately.

Thanks Flash Havoc ! Guided by your fantastic review, I finally decided to buy the TT 685 N as the only difference being in Li-ion battery & a bit faster recycle time in V 860 II. I think the normal Eneloop Pro batteries are easily available almost anywhere at much cheaper prices ,so I opt for TT 685 N.
Thanks once again for your kind reply.

Hi Flash Havoc,
I am using Nikon D5100 for 3 years now and thinking of buying my first flash. I do note have the budget to buy the Nikon Speedlights.
Would you recommend Godox TT685N as a first flash or should I be looking for another third party flashes like Yongnuo. If yes then please suggest the model.
Thanks in advance.